What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest Exhibition
Victory!
This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
A new exhibition, called Victory, marks this significant milestone in world history, and the story of the RNZAF.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt.
Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering.
You’re welcome to come along and learn all about the end of World War Two with us. The exhibition is on in our upstairs balcony in the atrium.
Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
We are delighted to let you know that our latest exhibition, the Mighty Hercules, is now open. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
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#Extraordinaryaircraft
Help us build a home for our #extraordinaryaircraft
Our Lockheed C-130H (NZ) Hercules and P-3K2 Orion have had long-term preservation work completed so they can be safely stored while we work on plans for a new permanent exhibition space large enough to house them.
Measuring 29.8m from nose to tail, with a wingspan of 40.5m and a tail soaring to just under 11m high, the Hercules is too large for our current exhibition halls. The Orion is almost as tall and even longer – stretching to 36m thanks to its submarine-detecting tail boom.
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Update
Overseas visitor charge
A $15 entry charge was introduced for all international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 31 March 2025. Tickets available online or from our Welcome Desk on arrival.
We were sorry to have to charge after being free for so many years, but the charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $16 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
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Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
BETTER THAN SOCKS! Attention last minute Father's Day shoppers! Delight dad with the chance to sit inside our Sioux - along with our Wasp and Iroquois - at our Open Cockpit Helicopter Frenzy this weekend, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September.
Book here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/events/fathers-day-special-helicopter-frenzy/ ... See MoreSee Less
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I remember seeing one of these Whirlybirds hovering above Northland's 90 mile beach as a kid heading to Spirits Bay with family we drove underneath it.
SHINE A LIGHT! Recently our collections team has been working on a few of the larger objects we have at the Air Force Museum.
One of these items is a bit of a mystery and we would love your help in learning more about it.
With no identifying marks or dataplates we suspect this searchlight is a one-off, custom-built example.
Made from a repurposed 37 shot, 2-inch rocket pod, this light features an Altas tungsten-halogen projector lamp and reflector encased in a modified rocket pod rear section. The small panel on the side contains a spare bulb and instructions for changing the bulb out.
Both sides have the winged taiaha of No. 2 Squadron stencilled on the side.
Are there any ex-squadron members, or anyone else, who remember putting this together or have any information of where it might have come from or what it was used for? If you do, our collection team would love to hear from you. You can contact them at research@airforcemuseum.co.nz.
The pictures show:
- Searchlight built from modified 37 shot, 2-inch rocket pod.
- Interior view showing bulb and reflector.
- Interior view of rear showing cavities usually used to house rockets.
Thank you!
#MysteryObject #rocketpod ... See MoreSee Less
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looks like a solar bbq for hot dogs for use on long missions.
Put on Skyhawk to help calibrate navy radar.
Is that a Hydra rocket pod turned spotlight? Very cool!
Very interesting was it ever mounted to be a spotlight on a heli or something else
Old school NZDF attitude....cant afford it make it...
Fitted to an A-4 to make it feel like a P-3?
For a brief moment, when looking at the third image, I could have sworn it was the nose section of a Bachem Ba349 Natter.... 😂
Don Simms
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DANGER ON THE ICE: As you can see, operating military aircraft in Antarctica is not for the faint-hearted, with dozens of mostly weather-related mishaps over the years.
Join Ric Hyden, Roland Janek and Robert Janek for a Short Talk about Naval Support Force Antarctica at 10am this Saturday 6 September.
Ric, Robert and Roland were all part of the support force providing crash rescue and logistical support in Antarctica.
Ric is a retired United States Air Force serviceman, while Robert and Roland both served in the RNZAF in Antarctica.
Join them for a talk on survival in the coldest place on earth, including lasting six hours in a survival suit dipped in the Ross Sea – just for practice!
Learn all about Antarctic logistics, types of aircraft used on the ice, crash rescue, aircraft recovery and the comradeship of working on the ice with penguins for company.
Where: 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch.
When: 10am Saturday 6 September. ... See MoreSee Less
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My Dad back in 1973. I have more pics of the Herk too which I'll dig up.
The crashed Connie "Pegasus" provided the name for the eventual original ice runway, Pegasus Field. Pegasus crashed on an unprepared surface that eventually became the site the runway was established on. It's all a bit meta, really, I wonder how many times in history an airstrip has been named after the first aircraft to crash land on it?
I've been the the Constellation crash Pegasus. It's still there. I went to see it in 2002 and 2004 while working at Scott Base. I'll be there for this.
I flew from Whenuapai to Christchurch on the Super Constellation that continued on next day to Antarctica, where it crashed in a whiteout.
321 was in the AirNZ No.1 hangar in CHC for months / years after its unpressurized ferry flight from antarctica to CHC after navy engineers fitted a new engine or two in the snow and ice and fired it up. They had a shortage of Ski equiped LC-130s at the time so it was financially viable to refurbish 321.
You wouldn’t have images or drawings of the ski attachments from the nose and main wheels to skis??
Photos I took of Pegasus crash site during the 2019/2020 season. Air Force Museum of New Zealand feel free to use during the presentation if you like: www.facebook.com/share/p/1A1PEdsdMR/
R any of these still there, or has recovery skills to remove them 🤔
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